Dread
by Zephyr Fyrian
Summary: One week before Garreg Mach Monastery's last stand, Hanneman von Essar attempts to keep the dread he's been feeling at bay, and in the process, discovers an important piece of information he overlooked. (Golden Deer Path, though it's not too important to the story)


**(A/N) So I've just finished my first playthrough of Fire Emblem: The Three Houses, and I chose to support my Byleth(female) with Hanneman, because honestly? He's a pretty solid dude with a stellar moustache. Anyway, so since I had my Byleth marry him, I thought I'd write a little something with the two of them bc why not. :3**

**Also, SPOILERS FOR SOME OF THE GOLDEN DEER PATH, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**blub out!**

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Dread. It had been eating away at Hanneman von Essar for nearly a month, but he still had no discernable source. The obvious reason, he supposed, was the oncoming assault of the resurrected Fell King, Nemesis, but somehow he was sure that there was another reason, something he'd overlooked.

A leaf of parchment slipped out from between his gloved fingers, fluttering down to the carpeted floor beside his desk. Hanneman sighed; wearing a hole in the floor with pacing wasn't going to help his concentration anymore than sitting at his desk had.

Perhaps what he needed was a distraction, something to take his mind away from the dread within him. Something where he could be around other people- as much as he disliked a great deal of social interaction -as whenever he was alone, his mind would wander back to that dread and his mood would sour and his head would begin to ache.

Sighing for a second time, he carefully bent down and picked the leaf up, replacing it in its designated stack on his desk before glancing to the door of his office, again debating on whether or not it was worth braving socializing to distract him.

Massaging his temples, he started for the door, deciding social exhaustion was easier to deal with than the dread eating at him.

The halls of Garreg Mach Monastery were unsurprisingly rather empty, save for a few priests and other churchgoers, and the air was not exactly tense, but rather buzzing with a strained excitement.

The liveliest part of the Monastery was perhaps the reception hall, where Claude, Judith, and a selection of the Knights of Seiros were discussing something, likely war tactics, though the words of their conversation didn't reach Hanneman's ears, as he was still at the far side of the large room.

He had been about to turn around and walk back towards the cathedral (he wasn't one to talk battle plans and such), when a shock of pale green hair caught his attention and he froze in place.

Byleth was standing beside Claude, talking with Judith about some serious matter, Claude appearing to be attempting to chime in, but what had caught Hanneman's attention was Byleth's hand.

Which rested on Claude's arm.

The familiar dread bubbled up inside of him and he frowned, giving his head a light shake, careful not to dislodge his monocle. Why in the name of the Goddess was he feeling dread now? And why about Byleth and Claude? He'd already known the two were close, so why should a simple touch on the arm be so…disarming?

Of course, he hadn't known they were close in _that _way, as he now assumed by the way Byleth stood close to him, her shoulder barely a hair's breadth away-

"_Oh, for goodness sake, Hanneman!" _he inwardly scolded himself, turning away from the group again. _"Don't go becoming Manuela now, always spreading rumors about people…"_

Hanneman continued this rant on his former colleague's ill behavior until he entered the cathedral, his mood dampened slightly at the sight of the rubble of what had once been the roof. The vaulted room was a beast to clean, or so he'd heard through Cyril, as without the roof to shelter it, rain would pour in and mix with the finer bits of rubble, resulting in a muddy mess that would take the servants hours to clean.

At the moment, such an event had occurred the night prior and the cathedral was swamped with an unpleasant looking greyish brown sludge that Hanneman preferred to keep his shoes out of, and so, with another sigh, the Crest scholar turned around and walked back across the bridge to the Monastery proper.

The group had since dispersed by the time he entered the reception hall again, and only Judith and a sole knight remained, talking quietly as they walked out of one of the exits.

Turning just slightly, Hanneman caught sight of Seteth heatedly scolding Flayn for something or other near the exit to the cemetery, Seteth waving his hands jerkily for emphasis and Flayn resolutely ignoring him.

Strange, as Seteth wasn't usually one to talk so animatedly; something must have truly upset him.

Unable to quell his curiosity, Hanneman began walking closer, careful to seem casual and not that he was eavesdropping.

"…many times have I told you, Flayn?" Seteth was saying, his hand on his forehead in exasperation. "We must, at all costs avoid-"

"Oh, hello, Professor Hanneman!" Flayn chirped suddenly, cutting Seteth off and sending Hanneman a wide smile.

"Good evening, Flayn, Seteth," Hanneman nodded to the archbishop's assistant politely, despite the venomous look being leveled at him.

"Yes, _good evening," _Seteth replied curtly, his posture stiff and uncomfortable. "Where are you headed, Professor? I wasn't aware you had business elsewhere but your office and the library for your _research."_

It wasn't difficult to detect the hostility in Seteth's tone, and Hanneman figured it best to find some excuse to be walking this way at this hour without letting on he'd been trying to discreetly spy on the two.

"Oh, I was just-" he paused, searching for a feasible excuse. "-just wandering around to see if I could find Miss Eisner; as you know, her bearing the Crest of Flames is truly and anomaly, and I'd like-"

"Yes, yes," Seteth interrupted irritably, taking ahold of Flayn's shoulder and pulling her into his side. "We shan't keep you any longer, then, Hanneman."

With a cheery 'bye' from Flayn and no other acknowledgement from Seteth, the two green-haired siblings walked off, most likely to Seteth's office to continue the scolding.

"_Seteth really should ease up on the poor girl," _Hanneman thought to himself, watching as the two disappeared up the stairs.

"Professor?"

Giving a rather violent start, Hanneman whirled around, and quite quickly at that, given his age.

Byleth was standing just at the entrance, that usual blank expression of hers traded in for a slightly worried one, her hands clasped in front of her as if she were holding something.

"Ahem, Professor!" Hanneman exclaimed, clearing his throat. "Good evening, is there something I can do for you?"

The strange dread was back, simmering just below the surface of his mind, too far out of his reach for him to grasp why he felt it.

"Oh, er, you told Seteth you were looking for me," Byleth replied, blinking up at him in confusion.

"Oh, so I did," his face suddenly felt a tad warmer than it should have. "How embarrassing… My apologies, Professor; memory is one of the first things one begins to lose as they get older."

Byleth frowned infinitesimally.

"You aren't _that _old," she said plainly, her fingers gripping the something in her hand very tightly.

"Ah- ahem, I-" Hanneman fumbled over his words, unsure of how to take that remark. And…

…Was it simply his imagination, or did her cheeks seem pinker as well?

"Anyway," Byleth cleared her throat, her expression returning to her usual calm. "What was it you wanted to speak with me about?"

Her face was calm, but was that a waver in her voice he detected? Perhaps she, too, was feeling that same ominous dread as he…Hanneman shook his head.

"_Enough of that," _he told himself, raising a hand to carefully adjust his monocle.

"Ah, yes," he quickly gathered his thoughts. "About your Crest, of course. I was wondering if perhaps you wouldn't mind joining me in my office to further discuss it?"

"_What am I doing?" _he though in exasperation. _"This will only dig me deeper into this pit of dread; I know I won't get anywhere with this Crest of Flames business, not when the research methods I haven't tried yet are so…so _intimate."

Even though he could not see his face, he was fairly certain he'd flushed ten shades of red at that thought.

"Not at all, Professor," Byleth gave just the barest hint of a smile, her hands still clutched tightly around that something in her hand. "I would be delighted to join you, actually."

"Splendid," Hanneman smiled lightly, turning towards the staircase Seteth and Flayn had just ascended.

Cyril was just walking down the steps, carrying a vase of slightly wilted flowers and a few books. He nodded to Hanneman as he passed and gave Byleth a quiet 'good evening', before continuing on his way to most likely find some new flowers for Rhea's bedside table.

"That boy never stops working, does he?" Hanneman said with a sigh, placing a hand on the wall for added stability as he climbed the staircase.

He'd never said it, for fear of being mocked (mostly by Manuela), but it would be quite nice it someone would add railing to the staircases around the Monastery. Surely he couldn't be the only…older individual who found it mildly exhausting to walk up all those steps without any sort of support.

Oh, Seiros, he really was just a tired old man now, wasn't he?

"Professor?" Byleth's inquisitive voice brought him back to the present and he glanced over to see her eyeing him in what he could've sworn was concern, though with Byleth it was hard to tell. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm quite fine," Hanneman sighed. He was doing an awful lot of sighing today, wasn't he? "Not the spry youth I used to be, I'm afraid."

Byleth frowned ever so slightly, before stepping closer.

"Here," she gently brushed his arm with her shoulder. "Put your arm around my shoulders, I can support you."

"_My- around her- oh dear Seiros," _

Why was it that that suggestion made his heart stutter? And why did that dread still linger in the back of his mind, as if waiting for something to happen?

"O-oh, that's quite alright," Hanneman assured her, trying to fight the heat that was slowly but surely creeping up his neck. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"It isn't an inconvenience," Byleth said sharply, before suddenly cutting herself off and turning her gaze resolutely to her feet. "My…my apologies for that. It's been a stressful day."

She looked back up at him, giving him a very small apologetic smile.

A bit of the dread weighing on him lifted at her smile.

"I can understand," Hanneman nodded, his eyes still focused on her even though she'd looked away. "What with the assault, the Agarthans- it has been a rather stressful half-year for you, hasn't it?"

Byleth gave a quiet laugh, nodding.

"So it has," she agreed.

Hanneman noticed, with not as much discomfort as he felt he should, that Byleth was still right beside him, even as they'd begun to ascend the stairs again. Her shoulder just barely brushed against the sleeve of his overcoat, her wrist occasionally bumping into the back of his hand.

Did she realize how close she was to him?

Hanneman's brow creased as he glanced down at her, wondering how she'd managed to cope with the struggles life had put her through. For someone so young, she had already overcome so much, and many of those struggles she'd only been thrown into due to others' interference.

His thoughts suddenly stopped short.

"_Someone so young," _he pondered. _"I don't believe I've ever actually asked her age, or heard it from anyone else…I supposed I assumed she was only a few years the senior of the students at the Officers Academy, but I suppose she could be older…or younger."_

Hanneman was brought out of his thoughts by Byleth clearing her throat as well as what seemed to be a deliberate bump of her shoulder against his arm.

"Hm? Ah, that walk was shorter than I expected," he said, opening the door to his office and gesturing for Byleth to come inside. "Come in, Professor; I'm afraid I've still not yet acquired another chair, so feel free to sit in mine if you wish."

"It's all right if you call me Byleth, you know," she said softly as she walked around the Crest Analyzer on the floor. "We are friends, are we not?"

"Oh, yes," there it was again, that slight flutter of his heart; perhaps he should have someone in the infirmary check that for him. "Friends, I suppose we are."

Feeling strangely restless, Hanneman began to peruse one of his bookshelves, searching for something to relax him.

"In that case, Pr- Byleth," he corrected himself, turning around to face her. "You can call me Hanneman, rather than 'professor'."

Byleth nodded, her large eyes watching him owlishly.

"_Oh, dear me, what was it I asked her to join me for?" _Hanneman's mind had gone confusingly blank, and try as he might he couldn't focus on anything but Byleth.

"You…didn't want to discuss Crests, did you?" Byleth asked, standing up from where she'd sat down.

"_Crests!" _he wanted to smack himself. _"Of course you called her up here to discuss Crests, you nitwit!"_

"I-" Hanneman stopped himself before he climbed further down into the hole he'd dug. "No, I suppose not."

Byleth nodded, her hands still clenched tightly around the object between them.

"What…is that, what you have in your hands," he asked before he could stop himself, unconsciously stepping a bit closer.

"Oh, this?" Byleth opened her hands, holding up a small silvery something between her thumb and forefinger. "It's a-"

"Ah, a ring," Hanneman finished, feeling the dread creep up again.

Of course, a _ring. _The estimated arrival time of Nemesis was in but a week, and they there at Garreg Mach were far outnumbered; it was only hope they clung to, hope that despite their numerous disadvantages they might still prevail.

It would make sense then, Hanneman supposed, that someone would use this last chance to propose a marriage.

"_It was Claude, wasn't it?" _he thought, his mind turning back to earlier that evening during the discussion in the reception hall. _"Ah, so that was why she stood so close…"_

It made sense; they were together the leaders of both the Church of Seiros (to an extent) and the Alliance, and if Nemesis was defeated, likely the leaders of the new Fodlan.

Why then, did the dread build until his heart ached? Why did he feel such anger towards Claude for-

"_Am I…jealous?" _Hanneman almost gasped aloud, the very idea so ludicrous it was almost laughable.

But it was true, wasn't it? The thought of Claude getting to spend the rest of his days with Byleth beside him was maddening, and quite frankly, very depressing. The idea that Byleth would become less and less a part of Hanneman's life was painful, as if some foul snake was constricting his heart.

"_Hanneman, you old fool," _he thought, staring down at the ring between Byleth's fingers, feeling something like a splintering in his chest. _"Have you so little experience with romance that you did not even realize you cared for her until it was too late?"_

Too late…

A second, different pain gripped his heart; that was why Claude had asked, wasn't it? Because waiting longer than a week might be too late.

"Professor- ahem, I mean, Hanneman?"

Hanneman shook himself out of his sorrowful daze, looking back to Byleth's face. Her thin brows were furrowed, her mouth turned down in the most expressive frown he'd seen on her face before.

"Are…you all right?" she was concerned again, lowering her hand and setting the ring down on the desk. "You seem a bit pale."

"Forgive me, Pr- Byleth," he caught himself again, trying to conceal the dread that was once again attacking his mind at full force.

What if Nemesis was even stronger than they'd expected? What if the casualties were too high to count? What if…

…What if Byleth didn't make it?

That was the dread; the fear that he'd lose her, be it to Claude, or more permanently…to death.

"Nemesis arrives in one week," Hanneman said suddenly, the actuality of only having a week left with Byleth hitting him hard. "One week- great Seiros, that's-"

"-That's what I was intending to talk to you about," Byleth said quietly, picking the ring back up. "My father, Jeralt, gave me this ring before he died."

Jeralt gave her that ring?

"He said that a long time ago, he gave it to my mother," Byleth continued, holding the ring in front of her reverently. "And he told me that I should give it to whomever I choose to spend my life with."

"_She's worried she only has one week left," _Hanneman thought sadly. "Did you come for romance advice? Because I'm not sure I'm the best person for that-"

"No no," Byleth shook her head. "I just-"

She sighed, closing her fist around the ring.

"What if I can't beat Nemesis?" she whispered. "What if I die fighting him, and never have the chance to-"

She stopped, swallowing. Taking a deep breath, she held out in the ring in her palm in between the both of them.

"I don't know how to do this," she said, her breath shaking, but her expression perfectly calm. "But…Hanneman von Essar, will you marry me?"

Hanneman's entire body froze, his heart racing, his mind uncomprehending.

"_Good Seiros, I'm too old for this," _he thought to himself, placing one hand on his desk to steady himself and the other on his heart, trying to ease the pounding. _"Did…did she actually just ask me that?"_

"I…beg your pardon?" he asked, clearing his throat to try and maintain his calm.

Byleth was silent for several seconds, her face growing steadily redder.

"I-I…Forgive me, Professor, I shouldn't have asked," she closed her fist, taking a step back and preparing to leave.

"_Oh, you fool, say something!" _panic seized him, his mouth trying to form words but failing. _"Stop her!"_

His hand shot out just as she was turning away, catching her shoulder and preventing her from leaving.

"You didn't let me finish," Hanneman said, a bit breathlessly. "You…caught me off guard there."

Byleth's eyes flickered up to meet his, her striking green irises unreadable, especially in the fading light of the sun.

"Byleth," he sighed, taking a deep breath and standing up. "You…"

Hanneman paused, frowning.

"You…do realize that I am quite possibly old enough to be your father?"

The amused smile that lit Byleth's face was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome, and Hanneman felt his own lips quirk upwards slightly at the sight of it.

"As such, you realize…" he readjusted his monocle, feeling very anxious. "You realize you'll certainly outlive me?"

Byleth nodded, though he saw her face fall minutely.

"It's possible neither one of us will survive Nemesis' attack," she countered. "I've already weighed the possibilities, Hanneman. I wouldn't have asked if I weren't completely sure I wanted to spend my life with you."

Again, Hanneman had to steady himself with a hand on the desk. The world wasn't spinning, not exactly, it seemed more like a dream, like a daze that he'd snap out of any moment and be back to monotonously ignoring the dread.

"If you don't want to marry me, I'm not forcing you," Byleth said softly, stepping closer again and resting her smaller hand over his gloved one.

"I see," gently, careful not to become too unsteady, Hanneman took Byleth's hands in his. "You are right in that we may only have one week left to live, Byleth…"

Byleth's eyes met his as he leaned over just slightly, cupping her hands within his.

"…So yes, I will marry you," he watched her neutral frown curve upwards into a smile, her eyes lighting up. "And we _must _survive this attack; I still have yet to discover all there is about your Crest!"

Byleth laughed; a loud, pure sound, one Hanneman had never heard before.

"Perhaps, once we defeat Nemesis, you can assist me in discovering all there is to know about Crests," he said only partially in jest.

"I'd like that," Byleth smiled, closing her eyes and letting her head fall against his chest.

The dread was still there, hovering just beyond the walls of his mind, and probably always would be, but after Nemesis was gone, Hanneman could focus simply on caring for Byleth and none of this foolish war business.

What a future indeed.

"Ahem," Hanneman said loudly, standing up straighter. "Are you _trying _to dislodge my monocle? What- Byleth, that is not funny-"

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**(A/N) I hope you enjoyed this little oneshot! :3 I'll probably be writing more Fire Emblem stuffs as well since I'm just a tad obssessed. (just a bit i swear)**

**Thanks for reading, buddy! :3**


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